IMS Details

International Mail Module Functionality Overview Track and Trace WorkTrace can provide customers of a Post with information about location of registered item in each point of processing, receiving and handing out/delivery. The customer might be private person, legal entity, foreign postal administration or foreign collaboration partner. WorkTrace supports any bar-codes. It supports all UPU, EMS, EPG, Parcels Prime events so that it is capable to trace the way of postal item from receiving at the post office up to handing out to the addressee. Further more WorkTrace offers a generic event capture capability that can be parameterized for events others than UPU standardised ones. Worktrace track and trace links items hierarchically. This means that postal staff can trace a mail item such as a parcel and with one click trace the receptacle, transport or despatch it was included in. Access points WorkTrace is a pure Web system, which means that access to it is possible and practiced from all of the locations below: In postal sorting centres and post offices. Offices of exchange and in the Sorting centre. Workshops of exchange of postal carriage. Customer premises. Large customers can be further provided with a ’Virtual Logistics view’, which is in fact a replica of the WorkTrace limited to customer information only. Product scope WorkTrace will support all of the below provided they are tagged with a bar-code or RFID Registered items: Domestic or international postcards letters printed matters special “M” bags small packets parcels Insured items: domestic, international letters domestic small packets parcels EMS Express mails Registered Commercial correspondence with prepaid reply Pallets CODs letters small packets parcels Other types of dispatch (bags, roller containers, application) EPG Parcels Regional Products (Example Baltic express) Installation As the system is Web based access to it is immediate from any point equipped with Internet access and a PC with a standard browser. Therefore the only requirements on working places, is an Internet, or Intranet access and a standard browser. Planned Volumes of Items WorkTrace is based on scalable solid technologies such as Linux enterprise, Oracle 9, jboss. The architecture of the WorkTrace proprietary software is cluster enabled. As a result WorkTrace can handle any volumes of mail. It can handle the volumes of small Posts to very large operators. WorkTrace is a distributed system. Technical modules make the building blocks of the system and each building block can run on a separate machine. Actually each building block of each application can run on a separate machine. FTP can send different messages to different machines to translate. The Translator can send different messages to a different machine for loading etc. This means that the system can grow flexibly according to the needs of a Post and is scalable and modular. Tracking messages WorkTrace supports all UPU, EMS, EPG, Prime events so that it is capable to trace the movements of postal items from receipt at the post office up to delivery to the addressee. International Postal messages for international mail are produced by WorkTrace (PREDESv1 and v2, RESDES, PRECON, RESCON, CARDIT, RESDIT, EMSEVT, EXCEPT). WorkTrace automatically communicates these messages to the postal and transporter partners on the appropriate network (GXS or other). WorkTrace provides automatic switching to other WorkTrace user Postal Services (currently 5) thereby reducing the costs of network costs. Additionally, WorkTrace can generate some item tracking messages intelligently thereby reducing data entry: e.g. By utilising information in receptacle level messages which include mail items. Further more WorkTrace offers a generic event capture capability that can be parameterized for events others than the standardised UPU ones. WorkTrace also support private not standard messages such a clients private pre advise. Information is included in global track & trace. Usage locations WorkTrace is a pure Web system, which means that access to it can be used from all of the locations below: Office of Exchange Sorting offices Receiving from the customer Delivery to the customer National or regional centres. It allows you to capture and use data both on entry into facilities and on exit. Due to its open architecture, there is no limit on the different event types it can parameterize. Information about despatches Currently WorkTrace supports the following dispatch information Type of a dispatch Category of a dispatch Weight of a dispatch Number of a dispatch Country of destination Recipient’s index Recipient’s name Recipient’s address Sender’s country PO where an item is accepted PO where an item is handed out Sender’s name Sender’s index Sender’s address Documents WorkTrace supports the following documents. CN16 CN31 CN33 CN35 CN38 CP34 CP86 CP87 CN09 CN10 CN55 CN56 CP84 CP85 CP93 CP94 CP75 N01 N02 N03 N04 Multilinguality WorkTrace is a multilingual system. It can be presented in any local language. Track and Trace It can be used for tracing for the following phases: Item Transport Palette Roller container Receptacel/bag Individual dispatch Item correlation It ensures correlation between several dispatch levels, such as transport and despatch, despatch and receptacles, receptacles and items. Just a click and an item is linked to the details of its despatch. Conversely a despatch is linked to all the receptacles contained within it. If client pre-advises are provided containing articles descriptions, these are linked to mail items too. Item identification WorkTrace uses the bar code as identification number of the item and supports non-standard ID for different phases (car, palette etc.) Customer and the Web WorkTrace provides a Web Interface for large customers. WorkTrace functions for mail management can be expanded with ease. Key account customers can be provided with electronic links to the Post through WorkTrace. Added-value Internet services for these large customers can be mail request for mail pick-up, pre-advise, bulk tracking of customer consignments, sms or e-mail alerts on mail delivery, tailored quality reports etc. It is The Clients module which is being piloted in Slovenia and Slovakia. Exception handling It offers a powerful alert mechanism to inform about cases of disparity via e*Mail, SMS or hot spots mechanism. A range of exception reports are provided. Examples are reports highlighting mail that was not pre-advised. A further report shows mail that has not been confirmed as received at destination. Registered rates management Control of an items weight and tariff for registered mail can be integrated into the system. Weight Checking Electronic scales can be easily integrated with WorkTrace system and the weight of inbound receptacles or items recorded. Facilities are provided to note discrepancies in weight and other discrepancies that can occur. Receptacle preparation WorkTrace is a complete international mail system. It fully supports the preparation of receptacles and dispatches. This is described in the Annexe. WorkTrace is open to capture via GPRS Web enabled scanners picture to the item (picture of signature, stamp of the company, day stamp, etc.) Monitoring next steps The system is able to give information about items, which have not reached the next track and trace in time. This information can be notified by a number of means: via e*Mail, SMS or an on-line alert monitoring report (hot-spots report). Data availability This is flexible. It is possible to make the data available for a 3 year period. WorkTrace’s modular and scalable architecture is ideal for coping with a large database. Customising for special item types WorkTrace is designed to be highly flexible. New mail products can be defined by user with administration rights. Mail items can also be tagged as special by creating new handling-type categories.